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The sensitised nervous system

1/2/2015

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There can be various causes of the nervous system getting into a ‘sensitised’ state of sympathetic dominance.  Some are mainly physical, others may be more psychological in nature.  Some examples are:

  • An extremely stressful or traumatic event (for example: loss of a loved one, job loss, major injury)
  • Severe chronic stress, from an ongoing situation, for example:
    o   ongoing health problems of self or other family member
    o   threat of losing job or home
    o   stressful work situation
    o   career ‘burnout’
    o   relationship problems
    o   separation/divorce
    o   financial problems
  • Some medical conditions, particularly those that affect the nervous and endocrine systems  (e.g. overactive thyroid)
  • Extreme hormonal changes, for example after childbirth (an extreme form of ‘baby blues’) or around menopause
  • Major surgery, particularly abdominal surgery (interrupts normal breathing patterns making hyperventilation more likely), or when there is a lot of blood loss
  • Chronic unhealthy thinking patterns (habitual worry, catastrophizing, resistance, avoidance, negative self-talk)

    Sometimes it can be a case of the ‘perfect storm’ of factors coinciding at a certain time of your life.

    When the nervous system becomes ‘sensitised’, it is more sensitive than normal.  It is hypersensitive, and overreacts to stimuli.  The sympathetic and parasympathetic sides of the nervous system are out of balance – the sympathetic system is too dominant.  The nervous system becomes stuck in ‘fight-or-flight’ mode.  The brain becomes hyper-alert, so even small stimuli can set off a disproportionate reaction, including big surges of adrenaline.  The mind can race or become stuck in obsessive thought patterns.  Sleeping may be difficult and appetite may be reduced or it may be difficult to eat at all.  It can be difficult or impossible to ever feel relaxed or comfortable when in this state.

    Unfortunately this sensitised state can be easily maintained by a vicious cycle of anxiety and fear.  The good news is that this state does not have to be permanent - the cycle can be broken.  More about the anxiety cycle next time.





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What is the fear response?  

2/6/2014

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Before going into more detail about anxiety attacks, let’s first take a quick look at the body’s fear response, because anxiety is all about fear.  A fear instinct can be very important to the survival of a species.  When an animal senses danger, the fear response is triggered so that the animal can respond to the danger appropriately.  This is known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response (or sometimes the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response).  The animal may flee to safety, or prepare to fight an enemy, or may even ‘freeze’ in an attempt to avoid detection.  In modern-day life we do not often have to run from predators or fight enemies, however the response can still be useful in some situations of physical danger.  

Many present day situations that cause us to feel fear are not about physical danger.  We may feel fear in situations where we are under pressure to perform, such as when taking an examination or giving a speech to a large group of people.  We may also worry and feel fearful about things we have very little control over, such as being a passenger on an aeroplane.  Whatever the trigger, the physiological response is much the same.  The sympathetic nervous system is stimulated.  

In our bodies, the autonomic nervous system (‘automatic’ part of the nervous system) has two subsystems called the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.  These two subsystems are in a kind of balance with each other, so that when one is more active the other is less active.  The sympathetic side is more active when we are more active, and the parasympathetic is more active when we are at rest and our body is digesting nutrients and doing repairs and restorative work.  During the fear response, sympathetic activity increases hugely, and parasympathetic functions such as digestion and repair shut down.  The body is preparing for action, possibly of an extreme kind – fighting for or running for your life.
 
Various parts of the brain and nervous system are involved in this response.  The adrenal glands (which sit on top of the kidneys) release a hormone called epinephrine – otherwise known as adrenaline – which produces a whole set of responses in the body.  Everyone has heard of adrenaline – we talk about an ‘adrenaline rush’ when we do something scary and/or exciting such as go on a roller coaster ride.  The body can’t really tell the difference between excitement and fear, it’s all in how we perceive the event.  If we enjoy roller coaster rides, we won’t be afraid and it will seem exciting, but if we don’t like them it may seem very scary.

What happens in the body during the ‘fight-or-flight’ response?
  • Breathing rate increases – to get plenty of oxygen into your blood
  • Heart beats faster and stronger – it needs to pump lots of oxygenated blood to your muscles
  • Blood is redirected to the skeletal muscles – so that we can fight or run away
  • Digestive processes reduce – you might experience stomach ache or nausea
  • Salivation reduces  – you might experience a dry mouth
  • Perspiration increases
  • Pupils dilate – so you can see (the danger, your escape route, etc.) more clearly
  • Increased alertness, senses may become more sensitive
These things also happen during some normal activities that are not associated with fear, such as during physical exercise.  The sympathetic and parasympathetic are always finding the right balance according to the needs of the body at the time.  When we are exercising, we expect to breathe faster and harder, we expect our hearts to pump faster and for our skin to perspire.  This is all normal stuff and not scary at all to most of us.

So far, so good, this is all normal stuff…
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